Rabu, 15 Februari 2012

Costa Concordia Sunk

Cruising in the wake
of Concordia disaster

February 14, 2012, 12:20 pmKerri Westenberg of the
Star TribuneAAP

The cruise industry was jolted, but not grounded, after the
Costa Concordia passenger ship struck a rock and capsized off the Italian island of Giglio on January 13, leaving at least
17 people dead and more than a dozen people missing.

Since the accident, the cruise industry has announced plans to
re-examine its emergency procedures even as it asserts the safety of its ships.
And while some Americans are now wary of heading out to sea, others seem to
view the tragedy as a horrific anomaly that has no bearing on cruise safety.

"I don't understand why anyone would be leery of taking a
cruise," said Matt Mayfield of St Paul, who
will set sail in the Caribbean in mid-February
on his honeymoon with Rachel Hultman.

Both are first-time cruisers. "If you see someone else in a
traffic accident, you feel bad, but do you stop driving" he asked.

In a poll at www.cruisecritic.com, a website that caters mostly
to veteran cruisers, about 65 per cent of the 6000 who responded said that they
are unfazed. An online poll conducted by the Wall Street Journal, which
presumably reaches a broader audience, found that 52 per cent of more than 3000
respondents are less likely to take a cruise after the disaster.

Most people understand that human error was to blame, said BJ
Hall, a travel adviser and cruise expert with Indigo Journeys. No clients of
the Twin Cities-based travel agency have expressed fears about taking a cruise.
In fact, since the accident, Hall has been busy with customers looking to book
cruises.

"The ship was safe," she said. "Somebody made a
stupid decision. I think people understand that."

The Costa Concordia, which was carrying 4200 passengers and crew
members, ran aground after the captain steered to within 500 feet of the
shoreline, well off course, for a look at Giglio. A rock slashed the hull,
leaving a 49 metre hole.

About 70 minutes passed before the evacuation alarm sounded.
Making matters worse, about 700 passengers who had joined the cruise at Civitavecchia, the port of Rome,
had not taken part in a muster drill designed to instruct passengers about what
to do in the event of an evacuation. Cruise ships are required by international
law to conduct such a drill at least 24 hours after embarkation. The Concordia
drill was scheduled for the following morning, when more passengers would
embark at Savona, Italy. That would have been within
the legal time frame.

Cruise ships, many of which carry enough people to populate a
small town, all have voyage plans and deviations from those plans require at
least a two-person review. Italian authorities have recovered the ship's voyage
data recorder, equivalent to an airline's black box, so they're likely to learn
if such a check occurred on the Costa Concordia.

In the meantime, the industry is taking action to review safety practices.
Carnival Corporation, the parent company of Costa and nine other cruise lines
including Princess Cruises, Seabourn and Holland America Line, announced on
January 19 that it would assess emergency response practices.

The Concordia accident raises questions about the company's
safety, Carnival Chairman and CEO Micky Arison acknowledged in a statement.

"While I have every confidence in the safety of our vessels
and the professionalism of our crews, this review will evaluate all practices
and procedures to make sure that this kind of accident doesn't happen
again," he is quoted as saying.

Cruise Lines International Association, which represents 25 of
the major cruise lines serving North America, has also begun a review of safety
operations among its members, and "is fully committed to understanding the
factors that contributed to the Concordia incident," according to a
statement on its website.

As a travel agent, Hall has received letters from many cruise
lines outlining their safety practices and standards since the Concordia
accident. She said cruise lines will be looking at their hiring, training and
evacuation plans. But she sees no major changes in what the sailing public will
see.

"Ships are extremely safe," Hall said. "They just
aren't meant to be run in shallow waters when they are that big."

SAFETY FIRST

For our vacations, we anticipate sunny skies and smooth sailing.
But sometimes the worst occurs. Cruise ships are quite safe. According to
Cruise Lines International Association, which represents 25 of the major cruise
lines serving North America, between 2005
through 2010 there were 16 marine casualty-related deaths out of nearly 100
million passengers worldwide. Still, it never hurts to know ways to protect
yourself if the unexpected occurs.

1. Attend the muster drill and pay close attention. Cruise lines
must conduct these safety drills at least 24 hours after setting sail; most do
so before ever leaving port. As boats have grown in size, the drills have moved
from decks near the lifeboats to large areas, such as a dining room or theater,
from which passengers would be led to their lifeboat in an emergency. If that's
the case, ask a crew member to show you your lifeboat so you know how to get
there.

2. Study the ship's layout and carry a map of the ship
everywhere you go onboard.

3. Wear shoes with good treads, especially if you're going on
deck, where surfaces may be wet.

4. Crime, though not common, poses the
likeliest threat onboard a cruise ship. Combat it the same way you might at
home: Don't flaunt cash or jewels, avoid walking alone through unpopulated
areas and don't drink excessively. By law, doors must have peepholes. Always
use them